21-12-2023 (PYONGYANG) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared that Pyongyang will not hesitate to initiate a nuclear attack if provoked by nuclear actions, according to state media reports on Thursday (Dec 21). This ominous statement comes in the wake of discussions between South Korea and the United States in Washington last week, focusing on nuclear deterrence in the event of a conflict with North Korea.
The agenda of the meeting encompassed “nuclear and strategic planning,” with both allies emphasizing that any nuclear aggression by Pyongyang against the United States or South Korea would spell the end of the North Korean regime.
Kim Jong Un, however, directed his military’s missile bureau “not to hesitate (launching) even a nuclear attack when the enemy provokes it with nukes,” as reported by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday.
In response, Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo swiftly released a joint statement urging North Korea to “stop conducting further provocations and accept our call for engaging in substantive dialogue without preconditions.” The three nations have intensified defence cooperation in light of a series of record-breaking weapons tests conducted by North Korea this year.
The North’s most recent demonstration of military prowess occurred on Monday when it launched the Hwasong-18, its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile. Describing it as “a warning counter-measure,” North Korea asserted that it was responding to persistent acts of “military threat” by Washington and its allies.
Defence cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan has notably increased, with the activation of a system to share real-time data on North Korean missile launches earlier this week. A US nuclear-powered submarine arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan, and joint drills involving long-range bombers took place with Seoul and Tokyo.
Pyongyang, emphasizing the “state of war by law” on the Korean Peninsula, declared that Washington’s “strategic assets” in the South would be “the first targets of destruction.” The North views drills by the United States and its allies as rehearsals for invasion, justifying its missile launches as essential “countermeasures.”
Seoul’s defence minister has recently issued fiery warnings, cautioning North Korea against engaging in any “reckless” action that jeopardizes peace, stating that it would face a “hell of destruction.”
The situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a “peak of escalating rhetoric and pre-emptive strike threats,” notes Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. He emphasizes that the current state of affairs underscores the seriousness of the situation.
In a separate statement, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, criticized the United Nations Security Council for convening a session on the North’s latest ICBM launch, asserting it was a demonstration of Pyongyang’s inherent right to self-defence. She expressed concern about the ceaseless military drills of the US and its allies, interpreting them as preparations for invasion.
North Korea’s launch of a military spy satellite last month, claiming to provide images of US and South Korean military sites, further strained inter-Korean ties. The launch fractured a military agreement between the Koreas designed to de-escalate tensions, leading to heightened security along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ).
